


the dream of you, it sleeps too

by crownedcarl



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Audrey Parker centric, Background Relationships, Case Fic, F/M, M/M, Sleeping Beauty Elements, Troubles (Haven)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:02:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23633560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedcarl/pseuds/crownedcarl
Summary: Audrey looks right at Duke and asks, in a disbelieving tone, "You don't think this is a sleep trouble. You think this is a fairy tale trouble?"
Relationships: Audrey Parker/Nathan Wuornos, Duke Crocker & Audrey Parker, Duke Crocker/Dwight Hendrickson
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35





	the dream of you, it sleeps too

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try my hand at writing a fic without a ship being at the forefront of it and thusly, this was born. Title from Florence and The Machine. Here's attempt 3564 at getting some kind of engagement from my readers: please leave me a comment. I don't get many of those. It would make my day. Otherwise, enjoy this.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://dickardgansey.tumblr.com/) for those interested. Here are my [other Haven fics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownedcarl/pseuds/crownedcarl/works?fandom_id=9218791).

There are officers down.

It's the first thing Audrey notices as she steps across the threshold on her way inside the station, being greeted by a cacophony of noise the moment the door swings shut behind her. There are phones ringing frantically off the hook and desks screeching across the floor, seemingly to make room for an officer who's bleeding from the head as she's being laid down gently.

As Audrey pauses to take everything in, Stan calls out "We got a pulse," as he kneels beside officer Jackson, his hands carefully cradling her face. Other officers are down for the count, Audrey notices, seeing them slumped over desks or half hidden beneath them and as she takes a deep breath, Audrey refocuses before approaching Stan, hastily crouching down to look him in the eyes.

"What happened?"

Stan, to his credit, swallows and composes himself before blurting out "Everyone went down at the same time. Denise was laughing and then she got real quiet," he goes on, sitting back on his haunches with a baffled expression that's tinged with terror, "I caught her before she fell but she won't wake up."

Cocking her head, Audrey decides to conduct her own examination, starting by feeling for a pulse and watching as officer Jackson's face remains blank and expressionless all the while. Not even a twitch; nothing.

"All at the same time?" Audrey confirms, biting her lower lip raw against the bubble of worry that's gaining dimension in her chest, trying to weigh the likelihood of this being mass hysteria versus it being a terrorist attack versus it being a trouble. Audrey is not liking her odds, any way you dice it. "Alright, Stan?" she sighs, putting her hair in a ponytail, "You check on everyone for me. Put them somewhere we can keep an eye on them."

Stan briskly nods, wiping beads of cold sweat from his anxious brow. Audrey feels suddenly bad for him being caught right in the middle of this, offering a quiet, encouraging, "We'll fix it," and waiting until Stan nods again to add, "Make sure everyone's stable, alright? You're my wingman on this one."

A severe expression crosses Stan's face, right then. He nods before stumbling back to his feet, looking contemplatively around the room before announcing "Eve, Matthew - business as usual. Man the phones. Everyone else, check on the rest of us. Someone get Olinsky down here, we need a medic-"

Confident that Stan has taken the reigns for now, Audrey makes her way to Dwight's office by weaving between prone officers and haphazardly moved desks, rapping briskly at the door before entering with a wince. There's no real reason Dwight wouldn't have been out there if he was able - if he had his wits and both legs working, he'd have been out there right alongside Stan, checking on their officers. There's really only one reason Audrey can think of as to why Dwight hasn't answered her knock, either.

"Hey, Dwight?" Audrey calls out as she hovers with one foot inside the office, cracking the door open a little further and slapping her palm against the wall in frustration at what she finds inside.

Dwight is face-down in paperwork, one arm resting on the desk, the other hanging limply down by his side. A half-full coffee cup is perched precariously beside his head, still steaming. Holding her breath, Audrey practically tip-toes closer while a feeling of unrest and concern builds in her gut, hesitating before she slowly places a hand on Dwight's back until she can feel it rising with steady breath.

"You're still here," she sighs, running a hand through her hair, taking the victory in stride. "At least there's that."

She gives the room a thorough once-over, then, deciding that there's no way in hell she'll be able to maneuver two-hundred something pounds of sleeping Dwight to the couch, so instead, she rolls his chair a little closer to the desk while removing the cup of coffee to sit on the windowsill. Audrey gets to adjusting his feet and finally, with her work done, she decides he probably won't go sprawling if she leaves him unattended for a moment.

Before leaving, though, Audrey turns his head too, until Dwight is resting with his cheek against the case file instead of his forehead. There's a trickle of blood coming from Dwight's nose, she realizes. He must've hit it, going down, but Audrey has done all that she can do for him. He's a grown man - he can survive a nosebleed, Audrey figures.

She takes care to pull Stan aside to ask him to check in on their chief while she's gone, seeing his face flicker with unease at the thought of all that responsibility Audrey is saddling him with. Stan's always been easy-going and easy to read, but Audrey wishes that he could have as much faith in himself as he seems to place in her.

Just this once.

"Where are you going?" Stan asks her, pointedly glancing around at the bodies that are being carried to empty interrogation rooms and cells before he turns back to Audrey, wearing a grimace of a smile. "You know I'm not cut out for this."

"Hey," Audrey interjects, "You're a veteran, Stan. You can do this. With any luck," she sighs, "It won't take too long to reverse this, whatever it is."

Patting his shoulder in parting, Audrey retreats back to the car and ends up throwing her hands up in the air when she spots Nathan awkwardly hunched over the steering wheel with his mouth open, dead asleep. "You, too?" Audrey mutters, shaking his shoulder to no avail. All that happens is that Nathan lands face-first on the horn and Audrey quickly has to lift his face by the chin to stop the noise, a sudden prickle of heat burning behind her eyes.

She had counted on having Nathan beside her on this one. Nathan's always somehow been the exception to the rule when it comes to the troubles, somehow always managing to get back up when she needs him. He's always been able to stand by her, even with the odds stacked against them.

All things considered, there are worse places he could be, in the end. Audrey gently takes the keys from his hand and closes the door before locking the car and taking a shaky step back, surveying the situation with her hands on her hips as she takes in the scene around her.

There's an old woman sleeping in a lawn chair outside the café, being tended to by a barista and a young boy. A crowd is starting to form around them.

Jogging over with her badge held firmly in hand, Audrey calls out "Detective Parker, Haven PD," and comes to a stop in front of the gathered crowd, including an old man in a wheelchair clutching at his jeans as Audrey asks "What happened?"

The young woman with the apron shakes her head in disbelief, offering a stunned "I came out with her latte and she - she thanked me and then, bam. Out like a light."

"About five minutes ago?"

Nodding, the little boy squeezes his stuffed bear and mumbles "Grandma fell asleep. She wasn't tired."

Jotting down the body count so far, Audrey offers a sincere "Listen, we're still figuring this out, but I want you to get her inside and keep an eye on her. Any other patrons, too. We need to help each other," she emphasizes, "Here's my number. Call me if anything changes."

The barista takes the card she's offered, calling for someone to help her get the unconscious woman inside. Audrey walks a little further down the sidewalk, steering herself towards the flower shop, relieved that at least she hasn't found anyone passed out in the street or behind the wheel - yet. A shiver runs up her back, reminding her that there's never a best case scenario with the troubles.

As she grabs her phone to scroll down to Duke's contact, he decides to meet her halfway, apparently, as his car comes barrelling down the street while Duke is flagging Audrey down with a breathless shout as he sticks his head out the window.

"Audrey," Duke gasps, a tremor in his voice as he slams the door shut and sprints the six feet to meet her, "What the hell is going on? I got guys falling asleep in today's special-"

"A trouble," Audrey cuts him off, "Has to be."

Pausing midway through his breathlessly babbled explanation, Duke processes what Audrey's said before staring her down with a thinly veiled resignation painting his features. "Right," Duke agrees slowly, sighing "What are we doing about it?"

He's quick to include himself, today. Audrey crosses her arms before quietly admitting "I don't know where to begin. It started all at the same time, all over town...usually, there's a connection but this? This is big, Duke."

He maneuvers her over to a bench, guiding Audrey into sitting down before taking a seat of his own, crossing his legs casually at the ankle and taking a deep breath. Audrey thought they were all used to it by now, the hectic schedule dictated by troubles sprouting at the worst of times, but today, there's something eerie about it. It makes Audrey feel uneasy, shifting in her seat, her thigh lining up with Duke's, feeling his warmth through his khakis.

"People are falling asleep," Duke states slowly, "The Crocker journal might give us some insight. Hey, what's with the long face? We got this," he tells her, putting an arm around Audrey's shoulders, his expression going briefly wary. "I'm guessing Nate and the big guy are down for the count."

"Yeah," Audrey agrees, "Looks like it's just you and me, this time."

It's not that Audrey minds. Duke is a good friend and an asset, always able to keep a cool head, but he's not Nathan, who's done this with her a hundred times before. He's not Dwight, who's always been good at seeing the bigger picture.

Duke lands in some other category. If he wasn't personally affected, he wouldn't be here and Audrey knows that she's no better, sometimes, but she wonders why Duke came straight to her instead of Dwight, considering the electric and unspoken thing between them that Audrey's been pretending not to know about for weeks, now.

It's none of her business, she decides. Duke is here. That's all that matters. "We start with the journal," Audrey agrees, rising to her feet and grabbing Duke by the wrist when he stands up. "I really need you on this one."

"You got me," Duke promises, sliding his hand into hers and squeezing.

* * *

The Rouge is dimly lit once the two of them get down into the living room area.

Audrey sits cross-legged on the couch with her phone held between her shoulder and her ear as she's checking in with Stan while Duke rifles through the Crocker journal, combing it for any clues of what they're dealing with and, more importantly, how to stop it.

The unofficial numbers from Stan are twenty-eight, by his count, of people going to sleep and not waking up. "People have been calling all day," he tells her, his voice muffled, "All over town. People are really freaking out."

Audrey nods and shoots a text to Vince from Duke's phone, pushing him for any information he might be sitting on without knowing about it. The Teagues have spent all afternoon looking through their own archives, but so far, nothing has turned up, but Audrey isn't giving up hope yet.

"We can't crowd the hospital with this," Audrey pushes Stan, "Unless they have some underlying medical condition, tell their family members and friends to stay at home with them and to keep checking in with us for any updates."

She's really winging it, this time. She hopes she's getting it as close to right as possible.

Stan huffs a little laugh before agreeing "Sure thing, Parker," and then his voice gets real quiet, the way it does when he's not sure whether the question he wants to ask is welcome, so he sits on it in silence.

Taking the bait, Audrey hums "Something on your mind?"

It does the trick. Stan sighs and says "Listen, it's just...couple of people hit their heads, right? We got the chief and Nathan snoring away and people are hurt and...I don't know how we can keep running like normal without anyone in charge."

She's been wondering the same thing. Without Dwight, without Nathan - without _her_ , they're missing key players, as of right now, but Audrey makes an executive decision for the sake of keeping the peace.

"You're in charge," she finally offers, strengthening the conviction in her voice when she adds, "You can do this. We need people on those phones and we need someone checking on everyone who's asleep. Calls come, you send people out if you can. But make sure to keep in touch, alright? We don't know if there's going to be a second wave."

It wouldn't get her, but this trouble could take Duke and leave Audrey all alone. It could take Vince and Dave and then they'd really be up shit creek without a paddle. All of Haven could fall asleep and Audrey would be the last man standing in a landscape dotted with sleeping bodies.

"Hey, Stan," Audrey goes on, "Just be a cop. You're good at that."

A minute later and no closer to reassuring Stan, she hangs up. Duke glances back at her without saying a word, an unhappy twitch to his mouth that Audrey is sure she's mirroring. "I don't have anything on this scale," Duke offers, "But there's something about a family all falling asleep back in the 50s. Slept right through the fire that took their house."

Flimsy, Audrey thinks. Smoke inhalation could've kept them down and out during the real inferno of the fire spreading. It's in the journal, though, which makes it a contender, but Audrey thinks that if she had to place bets, she'd pick the fire for the probable trouble in that case. "Nothing else?" she presses, walking up and standing on her toes to peer down at the journal, "It doesn't have to be huge. We need to consider all angles."

Duke flips a few pages back, holding the journal up for Audrey to see. "Harmons," she murmurs, eyes flitting across the page, "Tracy Harmon woken by...true love's kiss?"

She can hear Duke trying and failing to muffle a snort. It's not the time for laughter. "Yeah," he drawls, "Lady was sleeping like a rock, much like the thirteen other recorded cases at the time. Husband was inconsolable. Well, her lover snuck in through the window - thought she was pranking him, I guess. Kissed his sleeping beauty and what do you know, she woke up and...they lived happily ever after."

Audrey looks right at Duke and asks, in a disbelieving tone, "You don't think this is a sleep trouble. You think this is a fairy tale trouble?"

"Seems like it," Duke murmurs, shrugging his shoulders, gently clipping Audrey's chin with the motion. "You're the expert."

Stepping back, Audrey considers that Duke might be on the right track, here - at least if it's all about Sleeping Beauty, Audrey figures the cure could be as simple as the curse. "In that case," she slowly says, "The main question is still who's behind this. And," she goes on, poking a finger at the journal, "Who's supposed to be Sleeping Beauty, this time?"

"Way I see it," Duke chuckles ruefully, "We got to pay the Harmons a visit."

* * *

The two of them make a pit stop at the Herald, first.

Dave is waving them inside as soon as Audrey and Duke step out of the car. Once everyone's gathered inside, the four of them all end up huddled together and hunching over newspaper clippings and probate court files - public record, Vince tells her, if you know where to look. Audrey makes a mental note of it.

There are three living Harmons still in Haven. Patricia, née Strauss and her husband Terry, and they're the proud parents of a sixteen year old girl. Dana's photo from her soccer game last year shows her smiling with her parents' arms around her, other girls hugging in the background. "You think it's her?" Audrey asks, glancing at Dave, "Not her father?"

Dave puts his chin in his hand and scoffs. "Terry's a killjoy," he murmurs, "Man never believed in the troubles. Doesn't believe in fairy tales, either. No, no, my money's on the girl. Flights of fancy, hormones...it's the girl."

Taking a deep breath, Audrey glances over at Duke, finding him already looking her way. He holds up another photo from another soccer game, this one dated more recently. Instead of her parents, Dana's hugging another girl, who's helpfully named as Emma Wright in the byline. Their smiles are wide and delighted and when Audrey looks closer, there's something about the position of their hands.

Shaking her head, Audrey slumps in her seat, massing the back of her neck. She lets the other three talk among themselves; Audrey is so deep in thought she's only registering bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Triggers," Vince is saying, with his hands braced firmly on his hips when Audrey blinks her eyes open, "There's always a trigger, believe you me. You need to find that young lady and fix this."

"Don't you think I'm trying?" Audrey snaps back, placing her elbows on the table and picking at a loose thread in her sweater. "We know it happened at, what, close to three PM?"

Duke leans back, looking at her thoughtfully, before he goes and poses the question Audrey hadn't even considered.

"You get any calls at the station right around that time?"

Holding her breath, Audrey smacks a hand down on the table with a quiet "That's - hold on, let me get Stan on the line."

Sometimes, she forgets to think like a cop. It's a good thing Duke's been picking up the slack, this time around.

The call goes unanswered after a long time of trying to get through. It must be busy at the station, but Audrey shoots Stan a text telling him to call as soon as he can before she shrugs into her jacket, beckoning for Duke to do the same. It's a school day - she figures they'll be able to pull Dana out of class and question her, but Audrey's still drawing a blank on solving her trouble when there's a shroud of uncertainty and mystery around it, if nobody in that family has spoken openly about it for generations.

Dana probably doesn't even know she's doing it and Audrey knows the right questions to ask and the right angles to work, but Dana is young. She'll be scared, or in denial. Things could go sideways and Audrey doesn't know how to get through to Dana, yet, if it comes down to the worst case scenario.

"I don't want her to get you, too," she tells Duke in the car as she's staring out the window, "You should stay back."

"Not a chance."

"Duke," Audrey sighs, turning her head to look at him, "You're too important, alright?"

That gives him pause. Audrey can see Duke processing before finally offering her a smile, patting her knee as he pulls up in front of the high school. "Audrey," Duke says, "We're both going in there and we're solving this trouble. We're going to figure it out. Nothing bad is going to happen to me."

"Promise?"

Her voice wavers. Duke squeezes her hand.

"Promise."

* * *

The two of them are left waiting in the hallway as the principal goes to get Dana out of math class. As far as Audrey can tell, the actual school hasn't been hit by the trouble yet and Audrey is relieved to find some pocket of normalcy while the rest of Haven is in shambles.

"Brings back memories," Duke tells her as he leans back against the wall, hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Being pulled out of class and taken to the office, now that's a classic."

Audrey hums, grateful for the fact that Duke is trying to fill the silence. He abandons that train of thought, though and peers at Audrey with an encouraging, sly smile when he asks "So, how are you and Nate celebrating his return from the land of dreams when he wakes up?"

Rolling her eyes, Audrey thinks about it for a second. She'll hug him so hard it'll make him worry she'll never let go, for starters and then Audrey is going to take him home where she can keep an eye on him.

"Nothing special," is what she tells Duke, pinning him with a smile of her own, "You and Dwight?"

That catches Duke off-guard. He doesn't stumble, but his eyebrows inch a little closer, his smile stretching in a familiarly disarming way as he pieces together how much Audrey knows. In the end, he doesn't avoid the question. All Duke does is scuff his feet against the floor and laugh "Hell if I know. Pat on the back, maybe. Drinks at the Gull."

"Why don't I believe that?" Audrey grins, cocking her head. "You're allowed to hug him, I'm pretty sure. I think you could both use that."

Duke shrugs, his grin tinted with avoidance. Right as he's about to open his mouth again, the principal rounds the corner with Dana trailing her. The principal does a good job of explaining to her that there are some officers there that want a quick word with her but Audrey still has to ask the woman to stand back for some privacy. Principal Strauss takes it in stride, even as she lingers down the hall to keep an eye on them.

Audrey can see Dana trembling in front of her and Duke, her face pale and terrified. She looks scared to death.

"Dana," Audrey begins, gentling her voice to something soothing, "I'm officer Parker. Have you heard about the people falling asleep today?"

Nodding, Dana mumbles a quick "Yeah. What's that got to do with me?"

She sneaks a questioning glance at Audrey before looking away, nervously wringing her hands together. Guilty, Audrey thinks, without even knowing it.

"Listen," Audrey goes on, "I think you know why, Dana. See, I think you're troubled. I think you might be doing this without meaning to."

Duke steps in with a calm but firm "And we need you to stop doing it," that gets Dana to stare at him, as if she's not quite comprehending what's happening.

"No," Dana denies, "I can't do that. I _couldn't._ "

Audrey has done this dozens of times. Her patience hasn't been worn thin yet, but Dana flinches from the comforting hand Audrey tries to place on her shoulder, Dana opting to stare down at her feet instead of looking at Audrey. She's rubbing at the corner of her eye with her sleeve, trying to cover up tears. She's still trembling, and Audrey is starting to wonder if she's misjudged this whole situation.

"Did something happen," Duke slowly asks, "Today?"

Stan wasn't able to find any record of an accident or anything like it around the time that people started falling asleep. That doesn't rule anything out, though, especially not when Dana puts her head in her hands and bursts into tears. The principal is starting to rush towards them until Duke calls out a firm "Ma'am, we got this one," and it stops the woman in her tracks.

Duke takes Dana by the shoulders and eases her down when she seems intent on getting there anyway, knees bukcling. She doesn't stop crying until Audrey and Duke join her on the linoleum, sitting there in a half-circle, cross-legged and serious.

"I'm sorry," Dana croaks, her voice gone small. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to."

"What happened?" Audrey asks, brow furrowing with concern. "Something happened today, didn't it?"

"Emma," Dana breathes, curling her arms around her knees. "Emma, she-"

She's not able to finish the sentence. It takes a lot of coaxing to even get the first part of the story out, but eventually, Dana breaks like a dam under pressure, sobbing into her hands. "She had a doctor's appointment. S-she was driving back and-"

Audrey recalls, suddenly, the news of a wreck earlier this morning. Officer Hewitt was on the scene and the girl and her father had been taken to the hospital together not long after. It was a little while later that people started falling asleep. It makes a horrifying amount of sense, all of a sudden, when the pieces start falling into place.

"Emma hasn't woken up," Audrey concludes, keeping her voice as kind and as calm as possible, "That's why this is happening to you."

Miserably, Dana sniffles "I never told her," and pulls on her own hair, eyes red-rimmed and swollen when she looks at Audrey, "I never told her. I thought I'd have time."

Duke shuffles up on his knees, his hands gentle when he takes Dana by the shoulders. "Listen," he tells her, "I know a thing or two about lousy timing. Trust me. You can't change the past-"

Right as Dana looks likely to dissolve into tears again, Duke continues "But you got nothing but time, I promise. Listen, we got a friend at the hospital, don't we?"

Audrey nods when Duke shoots her an encouraging glance. "Your Emma is in good hands. We'll take you to see her. She'll probably need a friend there when she wakes up, won't she?"

"Yeah," Dana tentatively agrees, still sounding hopeless and exhausted, staring right at Duke when she asks "You think she'll wake up?"

Duke nods. Audrey appreciates the confidence, despite Duke not making any promises. The two of them can't afford to lie, right now.

* * *

Audrey is the one who guides Dana down the hallway, stopping just short of approaching Emma's parents where they stand in the doorway to the room, conversing quietly with a nurse. Dana's breath catches audibly and Audrey steps in front of her, taking Dana's hands in her own, offering a smile.

"It's going to be alright," Audrey promises, "I'm sure they're happy you're here. Your friend needs all the support she can get, right now."

Dana's nod is clumsy, but her expression solidifies into something determined, even though it fractures down the middle with anxiety. "It has to be alright," she says, searching Audrey's face for some comfort Audrey can't give, right now. "I - I'm really sorry I did this."

"Hey," Audrey murmurs, "It's not your fault. Go," she insists, "Be with her. You're the one person in Haven who can fix this. Maybe you fix it by being here."

There are no other solutions that Audrey can think of. She glances at Duke's lanky form, lounging at the other end of the hall, lazily chatting up a nurse without much heat behind it. She knows what a real flirtation looks like from Duke and this isn't it. Audrey bites down a smile, urging Dana closer to where she needs to be, watching as she's quickly scooped up in an embrace by Emma's shaken parents.

That's her work done, for now. Audrey strolls down to meet Duke, catching him by the back of the shirt. "With me," Audrey enunciates, "Stop bothering the lady."

Duke comes along with minimal complaint, slinging an arm around Audrey's shoulders. "Besides the issues of consent," Duke drawls, "Do we really think kissing an unconscious girl is going to fix this?"

Shrugging - but not shrugging Duke's arm off - Audrey sighs "I don't know, Duke. I don't _actually_ have all the answers," and even if she says it with a bit of a bite, Duke just hums and leaves it at that, for now, before sliding into the driver's side seat, sitting there for a long moment, not starting the car.

At the inquisitive glance Audrey shoots him, Duke groans "Alright, so maybe I'm worried. Sue me. We got a lot riding on the power of an outdated fairy tale, is all I'm saying," and Audrey hears the part that Duke isn't saying: how he'll miss Nathan, if this doesn't end. How he'll miss Dwight, for all the pretense at convincing her otherwise. Duke's going to miss Genevieve, down at the Gull, if she doesn't get her face out of her oyster soup and back behind the bar this time next week.

There is a lot riding on guesses and fumbling in the dark. "You," Audrey points out quietly, "Told me we'd figure it out. Don't make me have to tell you I told you so, later. It's a bad look. Nathan will laugh at you."

Duke laughs, starting the engine. "You," he tells her softly, "Always know the right thing to say, don't you?"

Sitting there in quiet disagreement, Audrey doesn't say another word. She stares out the window as Duke drives, wondering if maybe this time, Haven's lucky streak runs out.

In the parking lot, Audrey spies Nathan still snoozing behind the wheel. Duke raps at the window, leaning down to peer at him before shooting Audrey a ghost of a smile, sighing "Right. Not over, yet," before trailing Audrey inside the station, shooting looks at Nathan's car over his shoulder all the while. Audrey finds Stan behind his desk, jotting down locations and tallying how many confirmed cases of sudden narcolepsy they're dealing with, looking immensely relieved the moment Audrey walks up to him.

"Hey, you."

"How'd it go?" Stan asks, shooting to his feet and fumbling his pen in the process. "We could really use some good news, here."

Wincing, Audrey tells him everything she knows, watching as Stan's face falls in increments. She wants to reassure him, but Audrey's well has run dry - all she can do is mirror Stan's disappointment, sitting down beside him and letting him tell her his end of things. All things considered, they still have officers aplenty that are up and about. When she glances around the room, she spies Duke hovering by the coffee machine, nonchalantly walking past Dwight's office before halting in his tracks.

Audrey watches carefully as Duke disappears inside the office, leaving the door slightly ajar.

She doesn't know why she follows. Maybe it's just the instinct to check on Duke, if he has to find Dwight slumped and lifeless, but Audrey follows as quietly as she can. The blinds are drawn, the way she left them, but through the half-inch that the door is left open, Audrey manages to peer inside as she knocks gently on the door - once, then twice - without getting Duke's attention.

She carefully eases the door open another inch for a better look and she debates on whether to open the door properly to guide Duke away from the reality of the situation, away from another disappointment.

Lost in thought, she can suddenly hear Duke's low murmur drifting towards her, all breath and heat when he sighs "Ain't you my baby, huh?"

Audrey clears her dry throat, a flush rising on her cheeks at the unintentional invasion she's making of the moment, her eyes finding Duke's shape standing by the desk. She can hear the unmistakable sound of a kiss, lips catching against a still mouth. Her sight is unobstructed, but Audrey still has a hard time making out the details.

Dwight is still in the chair where Audrey left him, but as she processes what she's seeing - Duke bent over the prone body, lips lingering on Dwight's - she realizes that something crucial is happening, because Dwight's brow creases and his eyes open on a bleary blink, one hand fumbling its way to Duke's hip. Dwight's voice is slow with grogginess and rough with gravel when he murmurs a quiet, sleepy "Duke?"

"Yeah, it's me. You expecting someone else?"

Audrey really hates to hover. Before she can clear her throat and get to the point she's half-forgotten, someone taps her on the shoulder. She turns abruptly, dragging the door closed with the momentum, blinking in surprise before she manages to look up and meet Nathan's confused gaze.

"Hi," he says with a furrow between his brows, "Why was I drooling all over the steering wheel, Parker?"

"Nathan," Audrey breathes, abandoning all pretense of professionalism when she throws her arms around his neck, hugging him tight enough to make him stumble. "You woke up."

"Yeah?" Nathan tells her, sounding just on the brink of confused laughter, "Uh, Parker? Why was I asleep in the first place?"

She can hear Duke laughing from behind closed doors. Nathan is looking at Audrey patiently, his hands resting on her waist and Audrey realizes, abruptly, how much she missed him. "Tell you later," Audrey sighs, resting her forehead briefly against Nathan's shoulder, drawing back to look up at him properly, taking in his smile - the special one, the one that makes him look five years younger, charmingly boyish and gentle.

Maybe, Audrey considers, looking at Nathan Wuornos as she leans in to kiss him the way she's been wanting to for hours - maybe, just this once, true love really did save the day.


End file.
